A typical day in Derby

Sun rises at about 5 am. I get a sprinkle of light through my blinds. The fan is gently whirring providing the perfect waking breeze. 5.30 I get up and start the day with a jog or yoga. 5.30 is the perfect temperature outside. There are an abundance of walkers out on the jetty path- some of whom I recognise as my patients- but the rest of the town remains asleep. By 6.30 the sun starts to become more prominent and I am sweating. Breakfast outside overlooking the marsh and I take my time easing in to the day. Off to work at 8 and the air is already thickening.

The morning at Derby Physiotherapy usually starts with a coffee. Women’s exercise class to follow. It’s hard to discharge the regular comers from the service but even harder to get the patients who need it, to start. The women who do come love the socialising and they love a chat. They like to tell me where they’ve worked, lived and what they’ve done in their lives. It is always astounding.

Then there’s morning tea, a patient to see or more likely a patient to chase if they haven’t turned up for the appointment.

Men’s exercise class happens later in the morning. Bushie wears no shoes, the same flouro vest and doesn’t come without his akubra- ever. Bushie had a stroke last year which has left him with a non-functional arm and unable to work. Despite this he has a great dry sense of humour but I’m not sure I understand his jokes half the time.

Hamish is a fisherman and the loveliest chap. Only in a country hospital can you swing past your patient’s house at lunchtime on a Friday to borrow some lines for your weekend fishing trip…

Greg has one leg double the size of the other and wears some serious bloodstones to exercise in. He says he’s preparing for the wet.

Lunchtime comes early enough but you’re hungry enough. And conversation is usually excited planning for the next weekend camping.

On a Thursday arvo there’s a hydro class at the local pool. The pool is definitely not “hydro” standards as it’s 28 degrees and we have to keep telling the local kids to keep out of the class area. But the ladies love it- it’s another excuse for socialising and free entry to the pool to keep cool in the hottest part of the day.

Tuesdays are an early morning flight with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) on a very small 8-seater plane to service Fitzroy Crossing. The flight back is rocky and hot as you hit thermal pockets because the plane has to fly below a certain altitude due to its size.

In a single day, your caseload may be paediatric developmental disorders, antenatal, postanatal, on the wards, in Emergency, at the IGA (yep), at the nursing home, video conferencing, neuro, orhto, musculoskeletal, amputations, cardio… anything and everything.

As you step outside the air conditioning in the afternoon, the heat is all consuming and 43 degrees in Derby is suffocating. Friday arvo is POETS (piss off early tomorrow’s Saturday) so we head off to Scott House where the finance workers sell UDLs, wine, beer, cider and we have a drink around the hospital pool. Other weeknight post work activities include squash, swim club, jetty walks, mixed netball, volleyball. If someone is in town for a few days eg the dietician from Broom- there will be a dinner: a marsh dinner, pot luck dinner, fish and chips on the jetty with the sunset or one of the three restaurants in town. And Thursday night is karaoke night at The Spinny…

There’s also cricket, golf, fishing club, Hash House Harriers (a drinking club with a running problem), 5am boot camps, group pump classes at the town hall…